The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is one of the two major
political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...
in
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
, along with its main political rival the
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress (APC) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other being its main political rival the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The APC has been the main opposition party in Sierra Leone since 4 Apr ...
(APC). It has been the
ruling party
The ruling party or governing party in a democratic parliamentary or presidential system is the political party or coalition holding a majority of elected positions in a parliament, in the case of parliamentary systems, or holding the executive ...
in Sierra Leone since April 4, 2018. The SLPP dominated Sierra Leone's politics from its foundation in 1951 to 1967, when it lost the 1967 parliamentary election to the APC, led by
Siaka Stevens
Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister of Sierra Leone, Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was ofte ...
. Originally a
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
party, since 2012 it identifies as a
social democratic
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...
party, with a centrist tendency. Now it is a centrist party.
The SLPP returned to power when its leader
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (February 16, 1932 – March 13, 2014) was a Sierra Leonean politician who served twice as the 3rd President of Sierra Leone, from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007. An economist and attorney by profession, Ka ...
won the 1996 presidential election. The party was in power from 1996 to 2007, when it again lost to the APC, led by
Ernest Bai Koroma
Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leone, Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018.
Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent mo ...
, in the 2007 presidential election. SLPP returned to power in 2018 on the 4th of April when
Julius Maada Bio
Julius Maada Wonie Bio (born 12 May 1964) is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier general in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leo ...
was sworn in as the new President of Sierra Leone after winning the
2018 Sierra Leone presidential election. SLPP is overwhelmingly popular in
Mende areas in south and eastern Sierra Leone (except in
Kono District
Kono District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Koidu, Koidu Town. Motema is the second most populous city in the district. The other major towns in the district include Yengema, Tombodu, J ...
, a swing district), where the party regularly wins presidential, parliamentary and local elections by large margins. The SLPP has large minority support in the
Western Area
The Western Area or Freetown Peninsula (formerly the Colony of Sierra Leone) is one of five principal divisions of Sierra Leone. It comprises the oldest city and national capital Freetown and its surrounding towns and countryside. It covers an a ...
(including
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
). The SLPP also has large minority support in
Koinadugu District
Koinadugu District is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. It is the largest District in Sierra Leone in geographical area, and one of the least most densely populated. Its capital and largest city is Kabala, which is also one of ...
and
Falaba District
Falaba District is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. It is one of the sixteen Districts of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest town is Bendugu, Sierra Leone, Bendugu. Other towns in Falaba District include Falaba, Sikunia, ...
in the north of the country. The SLPP also has significant minority support in
Kambia District
Kambia District is a district in the North West Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the town of Kambia (Sierra Leone), Kambia. As of the 2015 census, The District had a population of 343,686. Kambia District borders the Rep ...
in the north of the country.
Early success and Independence
SLPP dominated politics in Sierra Leone in the years following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In 1955 and 1956, riots occurred in Sierra Leone, originally sparked by the artisan union's strike over pay; further unrest followed strikes by transport workers. These events grew animosity between the SLPP and
Krio parties, especially the
Cyril Rogers-Wright led
United Sierra Leone Progressive Party, established in 1954. The SLPP positioned itself as "the countryman's party," and garnered the support of
tribal chiefs
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...
. In recent times however, the SLPP has been widely perceived as "the Mende man's party".
After
elections in 1957,
Milton Margai
Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai (7 December 1895 – 28 April 1964) was a Sierra Leonean medical doctor and politician who served as the country's head of government from 1954 until his death in 1964. He was titled chief minister from 1954 ...
bowed to behind-the-scenes pressure and stepped down from SLPP leadership, replaced by his brother
Albert Margai
Sir Albert Michael Margai (10 October 1910 – 18 December 1980) was the second prime minister of Sierra Leone and the half-brother of Milton Margai, Sir Milton Margai, the country's first Prime Minister. He was also the father of Sierra Leone ...
. However, in 1958, Albert Margai and
Siaka Stevens
Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister of Sierra Leone, Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was ofte ...
launched a new party, the
People's National Party
The People's National Party (PNP) is a Social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in ...
(PNP), which aimed for greater African involvement in the British colonial government. With the independence of
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
in 1957, the PNP sought the support of the educated elite to lead a transition to independence. Stevens would later leave the party to form the northern-supported
All Peoples Congress. Upon independence in 1961,
Milton Margai
Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai (7 December 1895 – 28 April 1964) was a Sierra Leonean medical doctor and politician who served as the country's head of government from 1954 until his death in 1964. He was titled chief minister from 1954 ...
became
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
, and the SLPP became the ruling party. The SLPP, along with almost all Sierra Leonean political parties, signed the constitution at the London constitutional conference; the APC was the notable exception. This unity did not extend to national politics, as opposing politicians often faced detainment under SLPP rule.
Demise
Sir Milton Margai's death in 1964 left SLPP leadership to his brother
Sir Albert Margai. Albert's rule was characterized by dissent. Politically, he attempted to strengthen the position of SLPP elites relative to the chiefs, who had formed the backbone of the party. Albert's autocratic leadership style was questioned within his party, sparked by actions such as the demotion of senior party members Alhaji M.S. Mustapha and Kerefa Smart. Albert also embarked on a policy of
Africanisation, which removed some civil servants who favored a colonialistic approach. Margai may have adopted this strategy in an effort to replace the Creole civil administrators with unqualified members of his Mende tribe. Sir Albert Margai took power and sought to make the army homogeneously Mende.
He also endeavoured to change Sierra Leone from a democracy to a
one-party state
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
.
[End of The Exception]
''Time'', 31 March 1967
Scores of schools were built in the provinces along with Teachers Colleges in every district (Makeni, Magburaka, Moyamba, and the Milton Margai Teachers College).
Opposing leaders criticized Margai's presentation of a bill to establish a
one-party system
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
in Sierra Leone and also blamed Margai for developments had led to an economic slowdown. In the 1967 elections, the APC and SLPP each won 32 seats in parliament, with 2 former SLPP Independents siding with the APC MPs Kutubu Kai-Samba and Luseni A. M Brewah. This development confirmed that the SLPP would no longer lead the country.
The subsequent political unrest led to the declaration of martial law and a military coup that took full control of the national government. The
National Reformation Council The National Reformation Council, or NRC, was a group of senior military officers with Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith as its chairman, who seized control of the Sierra Leone Government of Sierra Leone, government on March 23, 1967. They suspended the ...
(NRC), led by Brigadier
Andrew Juxon-Smith
Brigadier Andrew Terence Juxon-Smith (30 November 1931 – 1996) was a Creole politician and military officer in Sierra Leone. He was briefly (27 March 1967 to 18 April 1968) Chairman of the National Reformation Council and acting Governor-Gene ...
, was established on 23 March 1967. Pressure from political elites, trade unions, and university students led to the junta's collapse in November 1970, and Siaka Stevens of the APC became president after the interregnum.
Under Stevens, Sierra Leone became a one-party state. In 1978 all SLPP MPs except one (Manna Kpaka, MP in Kenema) joined the APC. The SLPP was outlawed, and its elites and supporters were physically threatened and barred from holding meetings.
Rebirth
In 1996 SLPP returned to prominence, as its candidate
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (February 16, 1932 – March 13, 2014) was a Sierra Leonean politician who served twice as the 3rd President of Sierra Leone, from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007. An economist and attorney by profession, Ka ...
won the presidential election, receiving 59.5% of the popular vote in a second round against
John Karefa-Smart
Dr. John Albert Musselman Karefa-Smart (17 June 1915 – 26 August 2010) was a Sierra Leonean politician, medical doctor and university professor. He served as the first Foreign Minister under Sierra Leone's first Prime Minister, Sir Milton Mar ...
of the
United National People's Party
The United National People's Party is a political party in Sierra Leone.
In 1996, the UNPP received 21.6% of the votes in the parliamentary election, winning 17 of the 68 seats. UNPP candidate John Karefa-Smart finished second to current preside ...
(UNPP). In the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
held on 14 May 2002, the party won 69.9% of the popular vote and 83 out of 112 seats in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, and its candidate in the presidential election, Kabbah, won 70.1% of the vote and was re-elected.
At the SLPP's national convention in
Makeni
Makeni is the largest city in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The city is the capital of Bombali District, and is the economic center of the Northern Province. Makeni is the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone by population. The city of M ...
on 3–4 September 2005, Vice-President
Solomon Berewa
Solomon Ekuma Dominic Berewa (6 August 1938 – 5 March 2020) was Vice-President of Sierra Leone from May 2002 to September 2007. Standing as the candidate of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), he was defeated in the second round of the 200 ...
was selected by the SLPP as its leader and 2007 presidential candidate. He received 291 votes, while
Charles Margai
Charles Francis Kondo Margai (born 19 August 1945) is a Sierra Leonean politician and lawyer, constitutional lawyer who served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone in 2018.
Margai is a former candidate for the office of Pr ...
received 34,
Julius Maada Bio
Julius Maada Wonie Bio (born 12 May 1964) is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier general in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leo ...
received 33, and
J. B. Dauda received 28. In the
August 2007 election, the SLPP was defeated by the APC in the parliamentary election, winning 43 seats against 59 for the APC; the PMDC, a splinter party founded by
Charles Margai
Charles Francis Kondo Margai (born 19 August 1945) is a Sierra Leonean politician and lawyer, constitutional lawyer who served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone in 2018.
Margai is a former candidate for the office of Pr ...
, attracted the support of some traditional SLPP voters, winning 10 seats. In the presidential election, the SLPP candidate, Berewa, took second place in the first round, winning 38.3% of the vote against 44.3% for the APC candidate,
Ernest Bai Koroma
Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leone, Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018.
Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent mo ...
. A second round of the presidential election was held in September; Koroma prevailed with 54.6% of the vote against 45.4% for Berewa.
The SLPP constitution requires its leader to resign if the party loses a national election; Berewa resigned as party leader on 17 October 2007, leaving
Alhaji Sulaiman Jah as acting leader. In 2011,
Julius Maada Bio
Julius Maada Wonie Bio (born 12 May 1964) is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier general in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leo ...
became SLPP's nominee for the
2012 presidential election. He beat
Usman Boie Kamara
Alhaji Usman Boie Kamara (2 January 1949 — 11 December 2020) is a Sierra Leonean politician, businessman and mining engineer who has been Minister of Trade and Industry (Sierra Leone), Minister of Trade and Industry of Sierra Leone since 201 ...
, who came in second place. Bio was nominated as the SLPP candidate for president in the 2018 election, which he ultimately won.
Julius Maada Bio presidency (2018-present)
In 2018, Sierra Leone held a general
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
. The presidential election, in which neither candidate reached the required threshold of 55%, went to a second round of voting, in which
Julius Maada Bio
Julius Maada Wonie Bio (born 12 May 1964) is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier general in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leo ...
was elected with 51% of the vote against the candidate of then-ruling
All People’s Congress
The All People's Congress (APC) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other being its main political rival the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The APC has been the main opposition party in Sierra Leone since 4 Apr ...
(APC). On 4 April 2018, opposition candidate Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), was sworn in as Sierra Leone’s new president.
Electoral history
Presidential elections
Parliamentary elections
References
External links
*
{{Sierra Leonean political parties
1951 establishments in Sierra Leone
Centrist parties in Africa
Formerly banned political parties
Nationalist parties in Africa
Political parties established in 1951
Political parties in Sierra Leone
Socialism in Sierra Leone